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I'm stoked . . . Not expecting anything too agressive from H&H, but I feel like we'll get some bodies that are at least solid additions.

And my happiness also hinges too much on us keeping Hillis and Patterson. . .

Bucs, Bears, Redskins all look poised for a run at Vincent Jackson

Bucs, Bears, Redskins all look poised for a run at Vincent Jackson
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 12, 2012, 10:45 AM EDTGetty Images
With several wide receivers about to become unrestricted free agents, Vincent Jackson appears to be pulling ahead of the pack in the race to see which one of them can receive the most lucrative offer.

Three teams with plenty of money to spend — the Buccaneers, Bears and Redskins — all reportedly have identified Jackson as a high priority. That has to be wonderful news to Jackson and his agent, considering that the Buccaneers are $42.7 million under the salary cap, the Redskins are $31.1 million under and the Bears are $22.6 million under.

We noted yesterday that the Redskins are willing to break the bank for Jackson, Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports today that the Bears are serious suitors for Jackson but the Buccaneers have the inside track right now.

In other words, three teams with loads of salary cap space are going to try to out-bid each other. It’s good to be Vincent Jackson right now.

It’s also surprising the extent to which Jackson’s baggage doesn’t seem to be an issue. Jackson is 29 years old and already has seven seasons of wear and tear on his body? Doesn’t matter. Jackson was often an unhappy camper in San Diego? Doesn’t matter. Jackson was suspended three games in 2010 after his second drunk driving conviction? Doesn’t matter. Teams are so enamored with his 18.4 yards a catch and nine touchdowns last season that they’re willing to overlook those issues.

So Jackson is about to get paid. With free agency starting at 4 p.m. Eastern tomorrow, Jackson could be ready to sign a lucrative contract at 4:01.

Top 100 2012 NFL Free Agents By Will Brinson | Senior NFL Blogger

Free agency is almost here, folks. And below is our top 100 2012 NFL free agents. It was a fun list to compile and there's a 100-percent chance you won't agree with all/many/any of the choices below.


Rank Player Position Age Last Team
1 Peyton Manning QB ( 35 ) IND
2 Mario Williams DE/LB ( 35 ) HOU
3 Brandon Carr CB ( 25 ) KC
4 Carl Nicks G ( 26 ) NO
5 Mike Wallace WR ( 25 ) PIT
6 Vincent Jackson WR ( 29 ) SD
7 Cortland Finnegan CB ( 28 ) TEN
8 Red Bryant DL ( 27 ) SEA
9 Stephen Tulloch LB ( 27 ) DET
10 Marques Colston WR ( 28 ) NO
11 Chris Myers C ( 30 ) HOU
12 Jared Gaither LT ( 25 ) SD
13 Tracy Porter CB ( 25 ) NO
14 Curtis Lofton LB ( 25 ) ATL
15 Ben Grubbs OL ( 27 ) BAL
16 Matt Flynn QB ( 26 ) GB
17 Michael Bush RB ( 35 ) IND
18 Brandon Lloyd WR ( 30 ) STL
19 Brodrick Bunkley DT ( 28 ) DEN
20 Jason Jones DT ( 25 ) TEN
21 Carlos Rogers CB ( 30 ) SF
22 Reggie Wayne WR ( 33 ) IND
23 Scott Wells C ( 31 ) GB
24 Terrell Thomas CB ( 27 ) NYG
25 Demetrius Bell OT ( 27 ) BUF
26 Evan Mathis OG ( 30 ) PHI
27 Jeremy Mincey DE ( 29 ) JAC
28 John Abraham DE ( 33 ) ATL
29 Mike Tolbert RB ( 26 ) SD
30 Reggie Nelson S ( 28 ) CIN
31 David Hawthorne LB ( 26 ) SEA
32 Paul Soliai DT ( 28 ) MIA
33 London Fletcher LB ( 37 ) WAS
34 Aaron Ross CB ( 29 ) NYG
35 Robert Meachem WR ( 27 ) NO
36 Benjarvus Green-Ellis RB ( 26 ) NE
37 Alex Smith QB ( 27 ) SF
38 Sione Pouha DL ( 33 ) NYJ
39 Cory Redding DE ( 31 ) BAL
40 Laurent Robinson WR ( 26 ) DAL
41 Geoff Schwartz OL ( 25 ) CAR
42 Dwight Lowery S ( 26 ) JAC
43 Jarrett Johnson LB ( 30 ) BAL
44 Mario Manningham WR ( 25 ) NYG
45 Antonio Garay DT ( 32 ) SD
46 Jason Campbell QB ( 30 ) OAK
47 Pierre Garcon WR ( 25 ) IND
48 LaRon Landry S ( 27 ) WAS
49 Chad Henne QB ( 26 ) MIA
50 Peyton Hillis RB ( 26 ) CLE
51 LarDarius Webb CB ( 26 ) BAL
52 Mark Anderson DE ( 28 ) NE
53 Randy Moss WR ( 35 ) TEN
54 Erin Henderson LB ( 25 ) MIN
55 Joel Dreessen TE ( 29 ) HOU
56 Aubrayo Franklin DT ( 33 ) NO
57 Josh Morgan WR ( 26 ) SF
58 Tim Jennings CB ( 28 ) CHI
59 Dan Connor LB ( 26 ) CAR
60 Richard Marshall CB ( 27 ) ARI
61 Amobi Okoye DT ( 24 ) CHI
62 Cedric Benson RB ( 29 ) CIN
63 Andre Carter DE ( 32 ) NE
64 Eric Wright CB ( 26 ) DET
65 Kendall Langford DE ( 26 ) MIA
66 Joe Mays LB ( 26 ) DEN
67 Martellus Bennett TE ( 25 ) DAL
68 Samson Satele C ( 27 ) OAK
69 Kyle Orton QB ( 29 ) KC
70 Derek Landri DT ( 28 ) PHI
71 Leroy Hill LB ( 29 ) SEA
72 Manny Lawson LB ( 27 ) CIN
73 Jeff Backus LT ( 34 ) DET
74 John Carlson TE ( 27 ) SEA
75 Jake Scott OL ( 30 ) TEN
76 Trevor Laws DT ( 26 ) PHI
77 Justin Forsett RB ( 26 ) SEA
78 E.J. Henderson LB ( 31 ) MIN
79 Kareem McKenzie OT ( 32 ) NYG
80 Shaun Rogers DT ( 33 ) NO
81 Dan Koppen QB ( 35 ) IND
82 William Gay CB ( 32 ) PIT
83 Luis Castillo DT ( 28 ) SD
84 Dave Tollefson DE ( 29 ) NYG
85 Anthony Collins OT ( 26 ) CIN
86 Nick Hardwick C ( 30 ) SD
87 Abram Elam S ( 30 ) DAL
88 Steve Hutchinson OG ( 34 ) MIN
89 Jerricho Cotchery WR ( 29 ) PIT
90 Jacob Tamme TE ( 26 ) IND
91 Juqua Parker DE ( 33 ) PHI
91 Channing Crowder LB ( 28 ) MIA
93 Pat Sims DT ( 26 ) CIN
94 Jerome Simpson WR ( 26 ) CIN
95 Ryan Grant RB ( 29 ) GB
96 Ted Ginn WR ( 26 ) SF
97 Chilio Rachal OL ( 25 ) SF
98 Eddie Royal WR ( 25 ) DEN
99 Brandon Meriweather S ( 28 ) CHI
100 Vince Young QB ( 28 ) PHI


I left off his analysis. Click on the link to read.

I know this is just a typo, but Mario Williams is not 35-years-old.

the law firm better than Hillis? i guess if you really factor those injury concerns in alot, but I'd take my chances.

Maybe we'll shock the world and go sign Alex Smith.

I'd like Mike Tolbert and Erin Henderson please . . .

Pretty please . . . ???

Call me crazy, but I'm not THRILLED w/ any of the WRs. I'm guessing Meachem, Garcon & Josh Morgan would make me happy, but I question how good they would be in OUR offense.

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and there's a 100-percent chance you won't agree with all/many/any of the choices below

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Nice throw

Cross Randy Moss off that list. He signed with the 49rs

Very nice free agent tracker if you're interested...

LINK

Maybe we will sign the newly released Matt Leinert and get our Franchise QB afterall!

Looks like the Saints are realizing they are a better team with Colston and trying to sign him before tomorrow. Hope they stall out.

I question if Colston is the best fit for this team.

I think we need a speed guy who can stretch the field.

just read an article on cleveland.com that said the Browns weren't interested in Colston.

LINK
Want to clean up during free agency? Just follow some simple rules
By Pete Prisco

The NFL kicks off free agency Tuesday, which will officially open the mad season, as if Peyton Manning hasn't already kicked that off.

To help prepare for the endless stream of moves, signings, releases, restructuring, agents leaking info, agent propaganda about players and everything else that goes on for the next month or so, I offer Dos and Don'ts for all NFL teams.

These would all apply if I were an NFL general manager, which I often play out here on the pages of CBSSports.com -- much to my e-mailers' chagrin.

Do: Pay big for elite pass-rushers in their prime.

Why: They are few and far between, and rarely do they hit the market. Yet here's Mario Williams, one of the better pass rushers in the league on the market at the age of 27. How can a team pass on that?

Don't: Sign any player over the age of 30 for a big-money deal -- unless it's a quarterback.

Why: Most of the time -- no, nearly all the time -- that player's best football is behind him. So you are essentially paying for past production, rather than future potential. The price is often higher than it should be based on resume rather than the future. That's where teams get in trouble. Often it's the fans who want the name players, refusing to see that those players have played their best football already. Teams have to avoid hearing the clamor and reacting.

Do: Look for guys who are 27 or so and have at least 20 starts in the past two years after having 10 or fewer in their first two years.

Why: It means growth. It means improvement. It means the timing is right. Seattle's Red Bryant: One start first two seasons. Had 23 the last two. That's the type of player teams need to sign.

Don't: Pay fullbacks.

Why: This is a passing league now. They were big in your daddy's NFL. Not the way the game is played today. It's an air league. Not a smash-mouth league anymore. Fullbacks aren't that important. Draft a big slug in the seventh round and make him your fullback.

Do: Grab a pass rusher when you can.

Why: See the New York Giants. You can never have enough of those guys. It might not mean signing Williams to a long-term deal that will be as big as any defensive player in the NFL, but it might mean getting a situational guy who can play in the rotation. Pass rushers are gold in the current NFL.

Don't: Sign anybody's restricted free agent to an offer sheet and give up a first-round pick.

Why: That means you’re taking Steelers wideout Mike Wallace. It's just not worth it for a variety of reasons. One, you have to pay a huge dollar deal with a lot of guaranteed money to even have a chance to get the player. If you do sign him to a sheet, the team can always match it, which means you essentially wasted time doing their negotiating. And, finally, that draft pick would be cheap labor and younger. Isn't that an advantage teams want?

Do: Try and keep your own

Why: You know them. They know you. It's easy to know them as people and as workers in the locker room.

Don't: Get sentimental.

Why: It might be nice to keep your own, but within reason. Don't pay an older, aging player just because he's done some good things for you. Sentiment is for losers. The Steelers have always done a great job letting veteran players walk and replacing them with younger, faster, better talent. That's the way it should be.

Do: Find a bigger corner you can move to safety.

Why: Look at the Houston secondary. They start four players who have started at corner in their careers. That's the prototype secondary -- provided they improve at one corner spot -- for the modern NFL game. Jacksonville hit on Dwight Lowery, a former corner, who started at safety last year. PS: Lowery is an unrestricted free agent.

Don't: Pay big money and project quarterbacks with limited starts as future franchise passers.

Why: They haven't started for a reason. Sometimes, it works out. Mark Brunell did a nice job in Jacksonville. Matt Schaub has done the same in Houston. But there are too many flops. Guys like Rob Johnson, Scott Mitchell and some might even throw in Kevin Kolb and Matt Cassel -- two average players who start. There is a reason Matt Flynn went in the seventh round. He can be solid, but he will never be a star. Be careful how you pay him.

Do: Try to find a third-down back -- for the right price.

Why: I hate the idea of paying feature backs, but I love the idea of giving a third-down backs the right contract. Getting backs involved in the passing game, even on early downs, is about to become an even bigger part of offensive football. The Saints did it with Darren Sproles last year and I think Atlanta will do it more with Jacquizz Rodgers this year. The pass-catching backs, the kind who can turn a screen pass into a 60-yard scoring play, are valuable commodities.

Don't: Sign corners who can't run.

Why: Larry Brown. Remember him? He had two picks in a Super Bowl for the Cowboys and the Raiders signed him to a big deal the next spring. He wasn't fast enough to be a top corner and was considered an Oakland flop. You have to run to play that position, with rare exceptions.

Do: Try to find a second or third receiver for the right price.

Why: With so many spread formations, you need that guy. This comes with a caveat: Do not try and make that second guy a No. 1 receiver. That doesn't work. You are what you are. A Mario Manningham is never going to be a No. 1 receiver. So be rational.

Don't: Sign two-down, run-stuffing linebackers.

Why: This is a passing league. The nickel corner is now more valuable. The run-stuffing linebacker comes off on passing downs, and we know there are a lot more of those these days.

Do: Sign hard-working, good locker-room guys.

Why: Transition can be tough. You want the right people inside the building. Not Saints, mind you, but hard workers.

Don't: Pay Randy Moss.

Why: See above. He has loafed. He isn't a great teammate. And, oh yeah, he's old.

Mary Kay or league sources? I don't know, I just know what I read and have been reading. If they do great, if not I would like to see a comparable viable option.

Good Read, Thanks

Really good read, and good advice. It all seems sensible to me.

Should be a sticky.

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Don't: Pay fullbacks.

Why: This is a passing league now. They were big in your daddy's NFL. Not the way the game is played today. It's an air league. Not a smash-mouth league anymore. Fullbacks aren't that important. Draft a big slug in the seventh round and make him your fullback.

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I agree. Heck, put a guard back there if blocking is the purpose.

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16 Matt Flynn QB ( 26 ) GB

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Fylnn is # 16 on the FA list and were thinking he might be the savior to lead this team out of of hell and into the promise land...really,.,,The # 16 FA is our dream Franchise QB......Wow ...Really..We cant do anybetter than that,

At this rate I'd rather go with Colt one more year and take a swing at Barkley or someone next season

That is probably what is going to happen.

Me, I still make a play for Tannehill, but not at #4....I move down to 6 and do it....that's assuming the Browns have him scouted and give it the thumbs up.

The Rams have a bunch of picks.....I'd make the move of 2 spots for a 3rd rounder this year if it was me calling them with the proposal. Got to make it attractive enough. If they are calling, I hear them out..


That way we have a option and Colt is given one more chance...at least until we lose our first 2 home games and the crowd is ready to riot.

I'm hoping the Browns have him scouted at 37 and he falls there. Pipe dream. I'm nervous about taking him at 22 . . .

Oops, I'm talking about the draft and not free agency . . .

Seahawks may target Mario Williams, Matt Flynn . . .

Green-Ellis bound for free agency

March 12, 2012, 4:26 pm

Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis isn't going to win any rushing titles before he retires, but his dependability figures to make him a desirable free agent when the new league year begins Tuesday at 4 p.m.
There has been "dialogue" between Green-Ellis' camp and the Patriots but an agreeable offer for the fifth-year running back out of Ole Miss hasn't emerged.

A source indicated that Green-Ellis would be a "coveted" prospect when he does hit the market.

After running for 1,008 yards in 2010 and getting 4.4 yards per carry, Green-Ellis' numbers dropped considerably in 2011 with 667 yards on 181 carries (3.7 YPA).

One thing that hasn't dropped? The ball when Green-Ellis is carrying it. He's never fumbled in his NFL career. He's also scored 24 touchdowns in the past two seasons.

Green-Ellis' hands as a receiver are pretty average and his blitz-pickup is good. The main attributes are durability, consistency and ball security. The kinds of things you don't miss until they're gone.

Green-Ellis turns 27 in July. He's made the most of his career after being undrafted. Given the Patriots have gotten excellent running game production from overlooked players like Green-Ellis, they may be reluctant to get in a bidding war for a player who is good but not irreplaceable.

Giants re-sign Terrell Thomas

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 13, 2012, 9:31 AM EDT

Minutes after we posted our Free Agent Hot 100, we have the first signing off the list.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Giants have reached an agreement with cornerback Terrell Thomas, who has spent his entire career with the team but would have become a free agent in six and a half hours.

The Giants had high hopes for Thomas heading into last season, but he tore his ACL in the preseason and missed the entire year. Getting him back and healthy would be a boost to the Super Bowl champions’ defense.

Thomas was drafted by the Giants in the second round in 2008 and became a starter in 2009, and he didn’t miss a game in 2009 or 2010 before missing all of 2011.

Seems like he'd be a good pickup on a RB-by-committee team. I'd be glad to have him with or without Hillis . . .

Bills Free Agency Plan: Big splash now, out of the market by friday

You go, Bills . . .

We can only wish we had a GM as good as Buddy.


Fill as many of your needs in free agency, get your depth in the draft.

Bucs to make “strong push” for free agent Curtis Lofton

jc

Grubbs anyone? If we cut Steinbach, we'd save ~6mil...if we can get Grubbs for close to that annually (prolly 2-3mil more), I'd do it...a "lateral" move but Grubbs has been healthier and is 3-4 years younger

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/sports...e3f7b0a79c.html

"The Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cleveland Browns are among the teams expected to show interest in the former first-round draft pick."

I wouldn't argue w/ that.

Steal a guard from the Bengals and then the Rats . . .

Been saying this for a long time -- would much rather spend $7M a year on Grubbs, or $10M a year on Nicks than spend $7M on Steinbach.

Honestly, I'm flabbergasted that Steiny hasn't either renegotiated his contract, or been let go, yet. I like him as much as anybody, but he's not worth that money at this point.